Young Piper
by BrennanOB

Comment:
I like the concentration in his face. My only suggestion, I would have liked to see him playing the pipes.

The stand-up comic
by burtct

Comment:
Strange situation for me. As a portrait, I really like this shot. Great expression, nice angle of shot and nice angle of subject. Good coloring, all the things that make good portraits. There is no environment except a black cloth. So there is nothing to define your subject except the title. And here is where it gets weird...the title actually detracts for the portrait. Obviously, he is a stand-up comic by profession and you are telling us this. But by the title, I expect a different sort of portrait presentation. This puts me in an odd position for voting...

Stunted
by killjoy181

Comment:
Finally figured this one out. The tree is the "subject" the ice and frigid water is the environment. This was difficult for me because the focus does not seem to be on the tree. In fact, I couldn't find any element that had enough focus to be the actual subject. Now, I will admit a higher pixilated shot might be different. This could be stunning in the raw, but reducing it might have "damaged" the focus. So the fact that I think it is oof might not be the reality of things. It just makes it seem real flat to me.

"Volunteer" Habitat for Humanity
by sparrowsdeath

Comment:
Well put together, the reflection in the glasses adds something, you see his pure enjoyment, not just a posed smile (it could be posed...who knows). We see the environment and it's definition on the subject and we see him interacting within that environment. Thank you.

In and Out of Doors
by aoates

Comment:
So why is she inside? What keeps her there? There is a wistful look that hints that she wants to be outside, but we don't know why. The environment is more important than the subject in something like this. The idea is to see how the environment affects the subject (defines them) and how the subject interacts with their environment. We see the later, but not in a context that defines "why".

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire!
by Skip

Comment:
Wow! I happened upon this shot while cruising through some archives and forum threads. I nearly laughed myself out of my chair. I will be wiping tears from my eyes all day. Absolutely hilarious!

Getting Pink
by Kelli

Comment:
Colors seem muted.

Rain Forest Nymph
by beamsclan

Comment:
She seems so sad. I always pictured nymphs as being happy and free-spirited, which is why this is so powerful. This could easily be in National Geographic or even the New York Times (in b&w) and it would communicate so much. Well done!

Playing in her Garden
by LMA128

Comment:
Cute girl. I would have like to see her actually playing in the garden.

The Connoisseur
by bubeltrubel

Comment:
Part of me thought that this was a staged shot, rather than a portrait of someone in their environment, but then I saw the face and the expression in the eyes. Even supermodels can't get that combo of concentration and enjoyment. Well done!